Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday morning showed that Nigeria’s 36 states raked in N691.2bn in the 2019 half-year, representing a 19.16% increase over the N596.91bn recorded in the second half of 2018.
This was just as net monthly revenue for the states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) for the period stood at N1.2tr, while the gross was put at N1.89tr.
While Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, oil-rich Rivers and the FCT remained the biggest IGR earners, NBS listed Zamfara and Kebbi, in the northwest and Osun in the southwest geopolitical zone recorded the fastest growth year-on-year. Lagos, Rivers, and Delta recorded the highest total available revenue.
A breakdown of the figure showed that Lagos took the lead with N205.163bn, representing 29.68%; representing much more than the sum of revenues reported by the four states of Rivers, Delta, Ogun, and Kaduna, as well as the FCT that followed it at N202.921bn.
While Rivers followed from a distant with N75.974bn; FCT, recorded N38.57bn; Delta, N36.39bn; Ogun, N29.583bn; Kaduna, N22.401bn; Ondo, N19.001bn; Kano, N18.564bn; Cross River, N16.731bn; Kwara, N16.09bn; Edo, N15.441bn; and Oyo, N14.06bn.
The bottom of the table was occupied by Gombe, Yobe and Taraba and Borno, all in Nigeria’s troubled north-east geopolitical zone, with N2.087bn; N2.206bn; N3.272bn; and N3.917bn respectively. They were followed by Kebbi, Katsina, and Nasarawa, which reported N4.728bn; N4.4.728 and N4.842bn respectively.
Zamfara, however, recorded the most significant growth between the first half of 2018 and 2019, when its earnings soared by 171.34%; followed by Kebbi with 132.44%; Osun, 113.77%; Sokoto, 113.75%; Ondo, 101.77%; Benue, 100.07%; and Niger, 86.77%; Ekiti, 84.14% Bauchi, 79.5%; and Akwa Ibom, 72.95%.
Within the same period, five states saw their internally generated revenue shrinking, led by Ogun State’s 30.42% drop; followed by Bayelsa, 14.53%; Anambra, 14.07%; Enugu, 13%; and Gombe, 12.83%; while Kano’s earnings were flat, managing to inch 0.05% up; followed by the marginal 4.46% rise by Lagos; and FCT’s 9.46%; while that of Edo improved by just 11.83%.
Lagos also remained the biggest in total revenue for the period with N263.253bn (IGR plus FAAC); followed by oil-rich states of Rivers, N151.817bn; Delta, N145.088bn; Akwa Ibom, N106.773bn. FCT followed N71.63bn; Kano, N58.541bn; Kaduna, N54.777bn; Ogun, N48.074bn; and Edo, N47.306bn.
At the bottom of the table for the period was Osun with N20.299bn; ahead of Gombe, N21.792bn; Ekiti, N25.025bn; Taraba, N25.707bn; Ebonyi, N26.518bn; Nasarawa, N26.656bn; Yobe, N27.232bn; Adamawa, N28.276bn; Kebbi, N30.341bn; and Plateau, N30.783bn.